Precision Machined Parts Today

Lathes are important tools that are used across industries, from metalworking to carpentry. Even the simple pottery wheel, which has been used for centuries to make pots for household and commercial use, is technically a lathe. Today, lathes are used for many purposes, but they still operate the same way they have since their first invention. At MultiSource Manufacturing LLC, we utilize multiple lathes to build complex parts with exact dimensions. Our network of facilities hosts CNC live-tooling lathes with 3, 4, and 5 axis movement. We also have Y-axis and true twin spindle lathes on our production floors. With such a versatile range of movement available to our lathe technicians, in addition to other CNC machining centers and state-of-the-art tools, MultiSource can supply OEMs and other customers with the precision machined parts they need. We design and build parts for several industries, including the medical device, semiconductor, aerospace, defense, and food industries.

Our modern equipment can create the precision machined parts our customers require.

Because we work with customers in multiple industries requiring a tight degree of accuracy in part design and results, we rely on the quality of our modern machinery to build parts with the greatest precision possible. Thanks to our expert team of engineers, technicians, and other employees, our comprehensive equipment floors, and our network of fully outfitted facilities, MultiSource is an industry leader in precision machined parts and assemblies.

Lathes have been beneficial tools for many centuries.

Our lathes are as advanced as it gets, but the use of lathes dates back much further than our establishment in 1998. Lathes are as old as many other simple tools, going as far back as Ancient Egypt. The first evidence of the use of lathes dates back to around 1300 BCE in Egypt. Some discoveries show lathes may have even been used in Greece in the 14^th and 13^th centuries BCE.

Industrialized Lathes

Industrialized lathes were a significant tool during the first Industrial Revolution, often titled the “mother of machine tools.” In 1751, the first complete documentation of an all-metal slide-rest lathe was written. The tool was invented by Jacques de Vaucanson, a French inventor who also designed the first automatic loom.

Lathes

Throughout the first Industrial Revolution, lathes were powered by horses, steam, water, and other forces greater than the hand, but the first electrically motorized lathes weren’t developed until the late 1800s or early 1900s. By the 1950s, servomechanisms were beginning to control industrial lathe systems with numerical control.

Modern computing power increases the use and versatility of lathes.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the rise of computers allowed for the greater development of CNC lathes. (Read more about the history of CNC machining in general here.) In modern industry, both hand-controlled and CNC lathes are commonplace in many workshops, from artisan studios to major factories.

Our lathes are a critical part of our operation as a contract manufacturer. We produce a large range of precision machined parts, with our lathes taking part in many stages of the fabrication process.